The U.S. Department of Education says, "the goal of accreditation is to ensure that education provided by institutions of higher education meets acceptable levels of quality."

Utah State University seeks to exceed those standards and expectations. Our regional accreditor, the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) notes that accreditation standards are "expectations of quality and effectiveness that function as...a framework for continuous improvement." They enable "institutional self reflection and peer evaluation by examining the institution's mission, its translation of that mission into practice, its potential to fulfill its mission, and the results of its efforts to achieve that mission.

NWCCU establishes five standards that Utah State University must meet:

1) Mission, Core Themes, and Expectations

2) Resources and Capacity

3) Planning and Implementation

4) Effectiveness and Improvement

5) Mission Fulfillment, Adaptation, and Sustainability

USU uses every opportunity to establish and demonstrate systems of continuous improvement. Accreditation helps perfect our role as a premier, student centered, land-grant, and space-grant university, as we foster the principle that academics come first, cultivate diversity of thought and culture, and serve the public through learning, discovery, and engagement.

Details of USU's most recent accreditation work are available through the links on the left.

USU Mission Statement

Utah State University is one of the nation's premier student-centered land-grant and space-grant universities. We foster the principle that academics come first; we cultivate diversity of thought and culture; and we serve the public through learning, discovery, and engagement.